Frugal Fritzie

Merry Christmas, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you all have a wonderful day with your families. I am thankful for so many things, especially after the year here in Joplin, but I am most grateful for family, friends and of course, for my wonderful readers, you guys are the best. ♥

Here’s some free & frugal family-friendly events & activities available this weekend at various stores (and with all these events, it’s always a god idea to call ahead & confirm that your local store is participating):

AC Moore :

• Saturday 11/19 from 1-4pm, Buy & Decorate: Charge plate, Plastic Ornaments. Demonstrations: K’Nex MarioKart starter set, Crayola Model Magic Jewelry Boutique, Wilton Gingerbread House.
• Sunday 11/20 from 1-3pm, Make n’ Mold candy making demonstration: Christmas tree bark.

Bass Pro Shops:

• Santa’s Wonderland from 11/5-12/24. You can select your store in the drop down menu for complete details and schedule.
• 11/6-12/24 Every weekday, Monday-Friday, from 5-7 pm and every weekend, Saturday & Sunday, from noon-5pm, kids can take part in making crafts and holiday ornaments, like a snowman door hanger or animal sun catcher and construct great ornaments out of fishing bobbers, Popsicle sticks, jingle bells and more—even decorate Christmas cookies December 19th-24th! Select your store in the drop down menu for complete details and schedule.
• Free fun Santa Bandz bracelet offered every weekday to the first 150 kids who visit Santa’s Wonderland Monday through Friday from 5-7pm (a different style will be offered each week).
• Free 4×6 studio-quality photo with Santa from 3pm to 8pm Monday through Friday, Saturday’s 10am-8pm and Sunday’s Noon-5 pm.

Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores : Saturday 11/19 from 11am-1pm: Cricut Cake Mini Machine. From 1-3:30pm: Gingerbread Decorating Challenge (Win prizes from Jo-Ann & Wilton!).

Lakeshore Learning : Saturday 11/19 from 11am-3pm, Terrific Turkey Centerpiece.

Lowes Build and Grow: Saturday 11/19 from 10am-Noon, FREE: Kids build a Santa’s Sleigh! Sign up for this event here.

Michaels:

• Saturday 11/19 from 10am – 11am Make-It Take-It Gift Bag with purchase of gift bag. From 11am – Noon, FREE Make-It Take-It Gift Card Holder.
• Sunday 11/20 from 1-3pm FREE Make-It Take-It Thankful Event.

Pottery Barn Kids:

• Saturday 11/19 at 10am, National Geographic Little Explorers: Kids learn about Polar Bears with hands-on activities, quizzes, songs & more.
• Tuesday 11/22 at 11am, Thanksgiving Story Time: read stories, sing songs, and turkey craft.

Target : Select a city to find free or reduced-price admission to arts and cultural events in your area, sponsored by Target.

Walmart Event Finder: Enter your zipcode to view local happenings

Thanks Keeping Cents!

So, have you ever had one of those weeks where you just cannot seem to get caught up? I am definitely having one of those weeks, maybe months, and you know what?! I have decided I am perfectly ok with that. One of the many lessons I’ve learned this year here in Joplin is that sometimes (a lot of times), things just take a little bit longer & getting upset about that fact will not change a darn thing. I’ve never been the most patient person in the world- my family, friends & especially my dh John are all very aware of this. Little things used to aggravate me to no end, getting stuck at stoplights, my computer not running quickly enough to suit my taste (yes, I confess, I have called my old loyal ‘puter every name in the book, poor thing), long hold times waiting for customer service on the phone, etc., etc, etc.. Well, nowadays, much more often that not, I am just so flippin’ happy to still be here and to have my friends & family that I hold very near to my heart, always. I’ve also never been very good at expressing my thoughts on how I feel, which maybe stems from insecurity, I guess I’m afraid of being thought of as a big ‘ol dork. But, I want to try and set those thoughts aside & let people know how I feel. On that note, I’d like to let you all know that I am SO very grateful to my readers and I just want to thank you for taking time out of your busy days to stop by & visit Frugal Fritzie. I put a lot of time & effort into my blog and happily so, because I love what I do and it totally makes my day every day knowing that I’ve helped someone save a few hard-earned dollars. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, I’m giving each & every one of you a big, squeezy virtual hug right now! Love you guys! ♥♥♥

Congratulations, I have a winner from my Lay’s Potato Chips Regional Flavors Variety Pack Giveaway!

Comment #46: Jenn “I also like you on FB,” who also commented that she would like to try the Balsamic Sweet Onion flavor. Enjoy!

The winner was selected using Random.org:
Here are your random numbers:

46
Timestamp: 2011-09-01 13:36:43 UTC

Thanks to all of you who entered, be sure to enter my co-sponsored super duper “It’s All About You” $95 Gift Card 24-Hour Giveaway HERE. There will be 3 Winners: (1) $50.00 gift card, (1) $30.00 gift card and (1) $15.00 gift card and the winners get to choose between a Target Gift Card or a Walmart Gift Card, your choice! This great giveaway is one day only and ends tonight, so don’t miss out!

I wanted to wish all the Dads out there a very Happy Father’s Day, I hope you have a fantastic day! Here’s a poem I ran across that I just love & hope you enjoy:

What Is A Dad?

A dad is someone who
wants to catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up,
brushes you off,
and lets you try again.

A dad is someone who
wants to keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence
when you get hurt.

A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail…

- Unknown

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! I wanted to take a moment and give a shout out to all the Moms out there. You are all truly amazing, especially my mom! My mother has always been there for me, showed me endless love & support in so many countless ways. I am so very grateful to have such an awesome mom. I love you! ♥

Discover one amazing new product you’ve never heard of every 24 hours from Daily Grommet! Sign up free HERE to get their daily emails. They share one amazing new product daily, it looks like a fun site that would be great for fun & unique gift ideas. My dh is impossible to buy for, I’m always looking for new ideas for him. It looks like they’ve got a pretty big following too, over 15,000 fans on Facebook!

I couldn’t help but comment on the massive amount of snow we’re getting down here in Southwest Missouri today, blizzard conditions & we’ve gotten 14 inches so far today. I snapped the picture above just a few minutes ago and the wind was blowing so hard I barely got this picture taken. I know a lot of the country is getting snow today, so I was just wondering, how’s the weather where you are?

Here’s a great Groupon deal for my Springfield, Missouri readers out there! Get $25 for Two Games of Bowling and Shoe Rentals for Up to Five People and One Large Pizza at Enterprise Park Lanes. The Fine Print “Expires in 1 year,Limit 2 per person, may buy additional as gifts. Reservation required; subject to availability. Must use in 1 visit, no cash back. Not valid with other offers. May split Groupon between 5 people.” If you’re not a member of Groupon yet, you can register HERE.

Technology Made Deliciously Easy! Sign up for Techlicious HERE and get helpful advice and buying guides-all to make tech simple. Email subscribers are the first to know about exclusive giveaways, too, so don’t miss another tip!

And right now, they’ve got a great giveaway going on with less than 250 entries right now, so the odds of winning are pretty darn good! Enter to win a LG Electronics Kompressor Vacuum ($399.99 value) by doing these quick steps:

• Sign up for the Techlicious newsletter HERE
• After you sign up, click on the Home tab (far upper right)
• Click on “LG Electronics Kompressor Vacuum Holiday Giveaway!” and leave a comment
• The Giveaway ends 11/14/10 11:59 p.m.